THE OPENING OF THE STATION IN ERBIL

Raniyah Fares

The Station’s expansion to the Kurdistan region is a monumental move for The Station’s growth across Iraq in order to expand the ecosystem of entrepreneurs, professionals, and creatives. By doing so, it bridges the gap between individuals that may not have been in contact prior to that. By opening the communication channels, it allows for growth to continue that may not have been possible before through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and ideas. The Station achieves this through training programs, networking events, and incubation programs, in addition to the rental of the coworking space by start-up companies.

In the two months since the opening of the branch, two Ramadan Meetups (involving Kurdish culture and tech start-ups) with an accompanying bazaar were held. In addition to “Hustle Night”, a gathering of freelancers to share their experiences and build a community amongst themselves. Furthermore, a networking event was held in partnership with Startups Without Borders. We are so excited to now expand this vision through the opening of The Station Erbil.

The Iraqi ecosystem is at a crucial point in its evolution, and developments in Kurdistan are an indicator of the great deal of potential that can take root in the entrepreneurial scene. With investment in start-ups growing, attempts to address registration issues, and a growing commitment to advocating for youth to enter the private sector, now is the time that The Station lends its four years of experience to the city of Erbil.

Ashley Barlow, Executive Director of The Station

COWORKING SPACE

We are delighted to open The Station’s Coworking Space in Erbil, which is now fully open for start-ups, MSMEs, and freelancers to rent. The perks you get with renting a space with us are access to free internet, refreshments, and our meeting rooms. Additional benefits, depending on the type of membership, are advertisements on The Station’s various social media platforms and linkage with a mentor to help grow their businesses. Currently, we have one company in the Coworking Space, and we hope to see more soon.

MADE IN IRAQ - ERBIL

The Kurdistan region is heavily influenced by international brands and products, which is why it is important to promote locally produced goods in our Made in Iraq section. The Station partners with various brands and sells their products at various locations. In Erbil, we are partnered with the following brands that sell their items independently and at our office locations. The items range from jewelry to clothing to souvenirs.

ECO LIFE

Eco Life is an online shopping store whose goal is to simplify the shopping of consumers through an online platform. You can choose from among the list of products that are sourced from Iraq’s natural sources and manufactured into environmentally friendly products. All the products made do not contain any plastic or chemicals, and they are also only made by Iraqi hands.

NAKHSH

Nakhsh was founded to show uniqueness through fashion. The brand combines the latest trends with the Kurdish culture. In a very short time, Nakhsh attracted the attention of people in Kurdistan because of our mission to turn Kurdish art’s uniqueness into a part of the modern lifestyle. The original idea was to design one piece for each customer to intensify the uniqueness, but because of customer demands, we decided to offer the pieces in a limited quantity instead.

NAMO

“Namosocks” is a Kurdish brand of socks that was founded in 2021 to address universal issues with socks such as bad odor, sliding, incorrect size, and sweating. Most notably, the “different weather, different socks” problem that we all face as a result of living in a hot country. The socks are long-lasting and keep their shape.

ERBILLIAN

This self-taught digital artist started sketching during quarantine time in 2022. The pieces began as black and white, simple yet modern sketches to tell stories and bring attention to the diversity of Kurdish and Arab cultures in Iraq through symbolic items and ancient and historical places.

URBILUM

Urbillium is the first Iraqi game brand with the mission of creating entertaining and fun products with a local identity. There are currently two games available: “The Assyrian Empire”, a two-player strategy board game, and “Ditim”, a fast card game for up to eight players.The two games are very different compared to each other, but they have one fundamental element in common: local identity! Urbilum’s games are based on Iraq’s rich culture and heritage and are provided in 4 languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Syriac, and English.

TRICOT

Tricot takes pride in your experience of owning handicrafts made by skilled craftsmen in Iraq. They want you to have a hand-made masterpiece that you will treat as a treasure for years to come. Their pieces range from carpets to pillowcases and small souvenir pieces.

NASK

Nask is a jewelry brand that combines nature, history, art, and culture into their products to produce elegant pieces that can be worn casually or formally.